Baton Rouge bars, restaurants will not have alcohol permits revoked due to non-payment of local taxes, mayor says

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome says bars and restaurants in East Baton Rouge Parish will not have their alcohol licenses revoked due to non-payment of local taxes for the remainder of 2020.

Mayor Broome signed an executive order Monday, March 30 temporarily suspending the city-parish’s ordinance governing the suspension or revocation of licenses and permits for bars due to non-payment of local taxes.

Mayor Broome says she has been working with the board’s executive director, Chris Cranford, to review ways to assist bars and restaurants through closings and changes during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We are taking action to give those businesses whose primary revenue source is from the sale of alcohol, and that are closed during this time, the ability and time to recover without the risk of having their license revoked,” Mayor Broome said in a statement. “Protecting our economy is a primary concern as we evaluate the long-term impacts of the coronavirus on local and small businesses.”